Alfred Cheney Johnston (1885–1971) began his artistic career as an illustrator. He studied painting at the National Academy of Design in New York, working under the direction of his mentor, Charles Dana Gibson. During his studies, he began to experiment with photography by taking pictures of his friends, applying methods from painting to this new medium.

In 1917, Johnston was hired as a photographer for the famous New York theatre producer, Florenz Ziegfeld. For over fifteen years, Johnston photographed the dancers from the Ziegfeld Follies in their extravagant costumes, either individually or in groups. He also ran a commercial studio, where he photographed hundreds of actors and actresses. In 1960, A.C. Johnston donated more than 245 photographs to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., most of them nude and semi-nude performers from the Ziegfeld Follies.